Raviolo With Egg Yolk Truffle Butter Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"--the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to simmer (RTS).
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, spoon a little extra sauce over each one, and finish with a sprinkey-dink of grated Parm. Repeat with the remaining ravioli.
• Mound the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a big hole (called a well) in the center of the flour pile--bigger is definitely better here. Crack the eggs into the hole along with the extra yolk, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water, and salt and begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Be careful not to break the well or the egg mixture will run everywhere and you'll have a big fat mess on your hands (and your board). When enough flour is incorporated that you can handle the dough, use your hands to combine everything really well. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands a bit. When the mixture is homogeneous, start kneading...
• To knead the dough, it's VERY important to put your body weight into it, to get on top of the dough, and really stretch it. Be careful not to tear it--the idea is that you stretch the dough, not rip it. Use the heels of your palms and roll the mixture over itself. When it's done it should be smooth, supple, and velvety and look like the head of a preemie Cabbage Patch Doll. Kneading will take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how experienced you are. (Don't hold back: This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and work it!)
• When the pasta is ready, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least an hour at room temperature before rolling. If you're making the dough ahead of time, wrap, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before using.
• To roll out the pasta, you need to run the dough through the pasta roller a bunch of times to get it long and thin. To start, cut off about a quarter of the dough (remember, the bigger the piece you start with, the longer your dough is going to get), keeping the rest wrapped up so it doesn't dry out. Squish the dough to flatten it--this will help it run through the pasta roller more easily. Where do we start? We start at the beginning! Run the dough through the pasta roller starting on the widest setting, number 1. Then dust the dough with flour, fold it into thirds, and put the dough through this setting two more times. If the dough ever feels sticky or tacky, give it a little dusting of flour. Now adjust the setting to number 2 and repeat the process again--changing the setting each time until your dough is the desired thickness. Once the dough is rolled out, be sure to keep the pasta sheets covered so they don't dry out. Depending on what I want to use the pasta for, I usually stop around number 5 or 6. For long noodles, I keep it thicker, and for ravioli or stuffed pasta, I keep it thinner. All pasta machines are different, so you need to judge how your pasta machine works and adjust your rolling accordingly. Once you get the thickness you want, repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until foamy. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to become golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring often, until the spinach is tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and add the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Puree until smooth and bright green. Spoon into a plastic pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag, snip the tip to 1/4 inch wide and set aside.
• Put 8 pieces of pasta on a clean work surface and pipe a circle of the spinach mixture in the middle of each square, making sure to leave about a 1-inch border all around. Using the back of a spoon, make a well in the middle deep enough to hold an egg yolk. One by one, separate 8 eggs and put a yolk in each well. (Reserve the whites for another use.)
• Crack the remaining egg into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Brush the edges of the pasta pieces with the egg, and then top with the remaining squares of pasta. Working from the edge of the filling outward, firmly press the dough together, making sure there are no air bubbles. Trim the edges of each ravioli with a sharp knife or a fluted pasta cutter.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a small skillet with the sage leaves over medium heat and cook, swirling often, until the butter is golden brown and the sage is fried and crisp, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Gently drop the ravioli into the water and cook until the pasta is tender and the egg is still runny, about 6 minutes.
• Remove from the water with a slotted spoon or handheld strainer and place each ravioli in an individual bowl. Top each with a sage leaf and evenly spoon the butter over. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Place spinach in a steamer basket set over simmering water. Cook until spinach is wilted; drain. Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until coated with butter, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Finely chop spinach and add to a medium bowl along with ricotta, and half the Parmesan cheese. Season with nutmeg, white pepper, and salt. Stir to combine. Transfer filling mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round plain tip; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Set the rollers of a hand-cranked or electric pasta machine at their widest opening. Flatten dough with the palms of your hands; dust lightly with flour. Roll dough through widest setting. Keep rolling dough through the machine on decreasing settings until you have rolled it through the first six settings. Cut dough in half crosswise.
• Lay one piece of dough flat on work surface. Using a 2-inch round cutter, gently mark 4 circles in dough, about 5 inches apart. Using circle as a guide, pipe filling around each circle and continue piping to form a 1-inch high edge. Place 1 egg yolk in the center of each circle; season with salt and white pepper. Brush a little cold water around filling and gently place remaining piece of dough over filling and yolks to cover. Gently press edges together to seal, eliminating as much air as possible. Center a 4-inch fluted round cutter around filling and cut each raviolo.
• Add salt to boiling water and return to boil. Gently transfer ravioli to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until melted and lightly browned. Drain ravioli and divide among 4 serving plates. Pour over browned butter and garnish with remaining cheese and shaved truffles, if desired.